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Summary

Prehistoric Enclosure 'B' (Butler) with four internal hut circles, on the moderate western slope of the River Erme at Erme Plains and another hut circle to the south-east

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1004573: Enclosure and hut circles on Erme Plains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW3
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 806
• Pastscape: 442165

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSED HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Enclosure with two hut circles shown on 19th century map.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6364, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV155390.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Enclosure visible with three hut circles built near the west wall.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 69-70, map 55, figure 55.3 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Enclosure 'B' an oval 61 metres by 50 metres at 'Knackersmill Gulf' with a wall 2.5 metres wide by up to 0.6 metres high. The four hut circles around the edge are only 2.5 metres across and so more likely to be store houses than dwellings.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Enclosure shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

An enclosure with four hut circles, on the moderate western slope of the River Erme at Erme Plains. In plan the enclosure has roughly parallel north and south sides with rounded ends. The boundary is a turf-covered bank or collapsed wall, with a spread of up to 4.5 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres high. Fragments of an interior wall are in situ visible at a couple of points around the circuit. Four small, very ruinous hut circles survive attached to the enclosure interior comprising turf covered rubble with no significant structural masonry visible, and unclear entrance locations. Internal measurements cannot be taken accurately but all have a spread of 5 to 6 metres in diameter. A small ring of stones near the south-east exterior, with an interior diameter of 2.4 metres is a possible though unlikely hut circle.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Enclosure and hut circles shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2020, National Heritage List for England, 1004573 (National Heritage List for England). SDV363414.

Subrectangular enclosure. Partly grassed over drystone walling standing 4 courses maximum. There are two hut circles against the western side.

National Monuments Record, 2020, Pastscape, 442165, SX66SW3 (Website). SDV363416.

Site visited on 8th March 1950. enclosure with hut circles. Walling is poor, average height 0.4 metres and obviously incomplete at its eastern extremity. There are seven hut circles.
Field Investigation on 11th August 1977. Enclosure (a) at SX 63616495. This sub-rectangular enclosure, 70 metres east to west by 50 meters transversely and covering 0.3 hecatres, has turf covered, small boulder walling, 1.6 metres wide by 0.5 metres high, in very poor condition, especially the east side which lies on the edge of the river cliff. A probable original entrance, 1.5 metres wide is on the south-west side.
Three small, Type I hut circles, average internal diameter 2.5m, walls 1.1 metres wide and in very poor condition, are built onto the inner face of the enclosure wall on the west side.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.